SWABI: Members of Ittehad-i-Kashtkaran Pakhtunkhwa, a growers’ body, have demanded slashing prices of agricultural inputs and fixing of minimum tobacco price at Rs350 per kilogramme.

They made the demands while speaking at the general body meeting held here on Sunday to elect office-bearers of the association.

The participants elected Arif Ali Khan as the body’s provincial president, Dawood Jan senior vice-president, Iqbal Khan vice- president, Asfandyar Khan general secretary, Shahab Khan joint secretary, Fasal Raziq finance secretary and Liaqat Yousafzai press secretary.

The newly-elected office-bearers and general body members said the farmers urgently needed government help to come out of the severe financial crisis.

“Rising prices of agriculture inputs will keep the farmers trapped in financial difficulties,” Arif Ali said on the occasion.

Mr Asfandyar said there was no proper market where growers could sell their products, and noted that it was responsibility of the government to establish adequate markets to help the farmers sell their produce at reasonable rates.

The participants of the meeting, through a unanimous resolution, demanded of the tobacco purchasing companies to pay arrears of the farmers as soon as possible.

Through another resolution, they stressed that the government should ban construction of housing societies on agricultural lands.

VENUE SELECTED: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Swabi president Anwar Haq Dad Khan told Dawn on Sunday that Gohati cricket stadium had been selected for public meeting to be addressed by former prime minister Imran Khan.

He said arrangements for holding the meeting had been under way for last few days.

Shahram Khan Tarakai, the provincial minister for elementary and secondary education, claimed that it would be a huge gathering.

Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2022